Les Misérables has long been one of the most anticipated films of the year.
Tom Hooper’s adaptation features an all-star cast, and has been earning universal critical acclaim from the early reviews – you can read our five-star review here.
We saw two beautiful new TV spots for the film yesterday, and now MSN have debuted a wonderful featurette, taking us back to the original stage musical and bringing us forward to the upcoming film.
“Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption—a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Jackman plays ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.”
Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Amanda Seyfried lead the all-star cast, completed by Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Samantha Barks, and Isabelle Allen.
Hooper is directing from a script by William Nicholson (Gladiator, Shadowlands), who adapts the original classic novel of the same name by Victor Hugo and the world-famous stage musical.
The fact that every note has been sung live on set, rather than pre-recorded, is understandably one of the most promising things about the film, and my spine can’t help but tingle every time I watch (and re-watch) the trailer. It has the potential to re-invent the genre, and I can’t wait for its release.
Les Misérables will be released in the US on Christmas Day, in the height of the awards season, with very strong buzz surrounding it as we head towards the Oscars. Here in the UK, its release date is set for 11th January, and all we’ve seen suggests it will be every bit worth the wait. For now, here’s the latest featurette to help make that wait ever so slightly easier. Or more difficult, depending on how you look at it. Enjoy.
